In a 60-minute game of football, there may be, at the absolute most, 25 minutes of legitimate action. If each team averages 75 plays per game, and each play takes ten seconds, you've got a total of 25 minutes of actual football.

But the most activity actually goes on in those other 35 minutes, that time between when one play is blown dead and the next one begins. The general guideline for that span of time is between 30 and 40 seconds. Some teams, like Missouri, may shorten that timeline and run plays closer together.